Day 32- Fraser Island!

May 28- Day 32

Where: Fraser Island

Dinner: Steak and sauteed mushrooms

Fraser Island in amazing!

        This morning we got picked up by a big 40 passenger 4WD bus. Fraser Island is an island completely made of sand, the only one in the world just a 5 minute barge ride from Instep Point, where we're camping. Because it's all sand you have to have a 4WD car to drive anywhere on it because there are no proper paved roads. There were only 9 other people on the bus, along with our great tour guide. It was overcast and rainy which was a bummer. Once we got onto the island we drove straight up the beach for 35 kilometers. It was so cool to drive on the beach. Mostly it was smooth, but some places the sand was really soft or we had to drive through littld creeks running down to the ocean. The waters around Fraser Island are full of sharks so you can't swim anywhere in the ocean. While we were driving we saw the big fin of a whale. It was playing in the water and we just seeing it's side flipper.

        We stopped for morning coffee and muffins before driving up to the remains of a ship that wrecked on the beach sometime in the 30's I think. During WW2 it was used for bombing practice by the military, so there isn't a ton left of what was a big boat. However, it was still the best shipwreck I've ever seen.

Only 2 other people followed us, but we had such a fun time that we all did it twice. I think the rain only added to the rainforest feel. My favorite part was laying on my back with the rain falling on my face as I floated backwards. It has so far been one of best Australian moments. The stream was the same temperature as the rain so it hardly felt cold. Afterward I got my camera and ran back in the pouring rain to take some pictures. It's fun to run around in the rain in your suit if it isn't cold outside.

         Our final sight before lunch was another colored sand formation. It was pretty impressive again, and the sun came out just as we parked. Perfect timing sun. After a quick viewing we went to have an all you can eat lunch at a small local resort, one of two on the island. There are a few small little towns on the island that were built back around the 50's. A while back, however, the island became a National Heritage Sight and a National Park so no new land can be sold or developed on. So there are some people who live there and there are also quite a few holiday rentals. At lunch we met a few Germans a Dutch couple. It's always fun to talk with fellow travelers and compare notes.

        After lunch we drove inland via come incredibly bumpy roads. Imagine a bad washboard road and then multiply that by 20 and that gives you an idea of some areas of the road. Holes, bumps, fallen trees and branches, everything you wouldn't want to see on the road. 4WD truly is mandatory and even still you could get into some trouble. We could have gone to the island with a group where you have 10 people and you take turns driving a 4WD car, but I'm glad we went with the tour. It was more expensive but it saved a lot of stress, I'm sure. Our driver had 20 years experience on Fraser Island. It felt like we were on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.

        The center of the island is rainforest. We went to Lake McKenzie which is an incredibly beautiful blue lake. It's a shelf lake which means that it was formed in a low sand dune and is not connected to any other water source. The only water that goes in is rain and the only water that leaves is through condensation. It took hundreds of years to form, but it is really big now. Also, the sand surrounding the lake is completely striped of nutrients so it's the whitest, finest sand you'll ever see. It's great for exfoliating your skin, so we rubbed it all over ourselves. We were also told that you can ever brush your teeth with it, so obviously we all had to give it a go. Actually, Pat tried it first and then everyone else followed. I was proud of the guy :) I was too cold to swim but Pat went in quickly. The last was gorgeous and just so amazing in how it was formed. It was a wonderful thing to see.

        Our last stop of the day was at an old logging station that was set up in the rainforest. Areas of the island were logged in the early 1900s ( I think?) and later the island was used to do a great deal of sand mining. There isn't much left of the buildings that were there, but our guide did take us on a walk down in the rainforest. We walked on a boardwalk that is built along a perfectly clear, silent running stream. The stream is silent because it runs over sand instead of rock like most streams. There aren't even any fish in the stream because there isn't enough nutrients in the water to support them. You can drink the water from all the streams on the island because it's all drawn up from a water table under the sand. The way the whole island is just so interesting.

        After wards we drove back down along the beach for a while and then had to use a mining road to get the rest of the way back to the barge because the tide came in. Despite the rain, our time on the island was wonderful. Such a unique place and we were able to learn a lot about it from our guide. I would love to go back sometime in the sun!

        When we got back to the campsite it was pouring rain. We ended up spending the evening inside of the van, except when Pat got our to cook up some dinner while standing under the back hatch door. Despite the condition, he still managed to cook up some tasty steak and mushrooms. True talent! There are big puddles forming on the sand roads here in the campsite so I'm a bit concerned about driving out in the morning.